Abdominal laparoscopic surgery gained popularity in the late 1980's, when benefits of laparoscopic removal of the gallbladder over traditional (open) operation became evident. Reduced post-operative recovery time, markedly decreased post-operative pain and wound infection, and improved cosmetic outcome are well established benefits of laparoscopic surgery, derived mainly from the ability of laparoscopic surgeons to perform an operation utilizing smaller incisions of the body wall.
Laparoscopic procedures typically involve inserting a surgical access device, such as a straight tubular cannula or trocar sleeve, into the abdominal cavity. Insufflation of the abdominal cavity with carbon dioxide gas to a pressure of around 15 mm Hg is generally used to increase the interior space for the surgical procedure. Accordingly, various sealing elements are used within the trocar sleeve to seal its working channel both before and after a surgical instrument is inserted through the trocar sleeve to seal the body cavity from the outside in order to achieve and maintain insufflation. Suitable laparoscopic instruments (graspers, dissectors, scissors, retractors, etc.) can be placed through the one or more trocar sleeves depending on the procedure and needs of the surgeon. Surgeons can then perform a variety of diagnostic procedures, such as visual inspection or removal of a tissue sample for biopsy, or treatment procedures, such as removal of a polyp or tumor or restructuring tissue.
Because of the rise in popularity of minimally invasive surgeries, there has been significant development with respect to the procedures and the instruments used in laparoscopic procedures. For example, in some procedures a single incision at the navel can be sufficient to provide access to a surgical site. This is because the umbilicus can be a preferred way to access an abdominal cavity in a laparoscopic procedure. The umbilical incision can be easily enlarged without significantly compromising cosmesis and without significantly increasing the chances of wound complications, thus allowing multiple instruments to be introduced through a single access device placed in an incision.
Current devices used in single site laparoscopic procedures generally provide a plurality of seals in order to simultaneously accommodate a plurality of surgical instruments. Seals are typically disposed within the access device at the level of the abdomen wall or are fixed to the access device well above the body wall. As a result, the range of motion of the seals is limited by the access device, thereby vastly restricting the quadrant-to-quadrant reach of surgical instruments inserted therethrough. Seals that extend below the access device but fail to extend through the abdomen wall are subject to collapse as the incision itself closes in around the seal and prevents insertion of a surgical instrument through the seal.
Accordingly, there remains a need for methods and devices that provide instrument range-of-motion without subjecting the seal to collapse by the incision.